Firearm barrel tray, stock, and related methods

ABSTRACT

A firearm barrel tray having a barrel channel and a firearm accessory mounting interface, wherein the firearm barrel tray is configured to be attached to a firearm stock such that the barrel channel sits on a first side of the firearm stock and the firearm accessory mounting interface is configured to align with a recess on a second side of the firearm stock.

CLAIM OF PRIORITY UNDER 35 U.S.C. § 120

The present application for patent is a Continuation of patentapplication Ser. No. 16/419,311 entitled “FIREARM BARREL TRAY, STOCK,AND RELATED METHODS” filed May 22, 2019, pending, which is aContinuation of patent application Ser. No. 15/914,879 entitled “FIREARMBARREL TRAY, STOCK, AND RELATED METHODS” filed Mar. 7, 2018, and issuedas U.S. Pat. No. 10,345,076 on Jul. 9, 2019, which claims priority toU.S. Provisional Application No. 62/468,080 filed on Mar. 7, 2017 andentitled “FIREARM BARREL TRAY, STOCK, AND RELATED METHODS,” the entiredisclosures of which are hereby incorporated by reference for all properpurposes.

FIELD

The present disclosure relates to firearms. In particular, but not byway of limitation, the present disclosure relates to systems and methodsfor supporting a rifle barrel.

BACKGROUND

Users of longarms often have a desire to attach accessories to them.There are several places on a rifle upon which accessories may bemounted, but some are most usefully mounted along the sides and bottomof the forend. Such accessories include slings, bipods, lights,alternate grips, lasers and other useful accessories.

There are existing mounting systems for various types of accessories;certain mounting systems are designed to work with accessories made bymany different manufacturers. Some such mounting systems are designed tosecurely fasten accessories and provide a very low tolerance formovement, especially upon firing of the firearm itself. Such systemsoften work best with heavy, durable material to keep such movementtolerances low and for various other reasons. However, it is undesirableto use heavy, durable materials in some areas of a firearm, such as anentire stock, because such materials can increase the overall weight ofthe firearm. There remains a need for a lightweight firearm stock thatprovides a user with the ability to securely attach an accessory to aforward region of the firearm.

SUMMARY

In some examples, a firearm barrel tray, stock, and/or methods mount maybe provided as claimed herein. An aspect of the disclosure provides afirearm barrel tray having a barrel channel and a firearm accessorymounting interface. The firearm barrel tray may be configured to beattached to a firearm stock such that the barrel channel sits on a firstside of the firearm stock and the firearm accessory mounting interfacemay be configured to align with a recess on a second side of the firearmstock.

Another aspect of the disclosure provides a system having a firearmstock and a barrel tray removably coupled to the firearm stock. Thebarrel tray may comprise a barrel channel positioned on a first side ofthe firearm stock and a firearm accessory interface unitary with ordirectly coupled to the barrel channel. At least a portion of theaccessory interface may be accessible from a second side of the stock,the second side opposing the first side. The barrel tray may be made ofa stronger material than a material from which the firearm stock ismade.

Yet another aspect of the disclosure provides a method of making afirearm support system. The method may comprise forming a firearm barrelchannel and a firearm accessory interface from a first high-strengthmaterial, forming a stock from a second lower-strength material, andcoupling the firearm barrel channel and firearm accessory interface toan interior portion of the firearm stock such that the firearm barrelchannel sits on a first side of the stock and the firearm accessoryinterface is accessible from a second side of the stock.

Another aspect of the disclosure provides a system comprising a firearmstock and an accessory mounting interface. The accessory mountinginterface may comprise one or more elongated slots and may be removablycoupled to an interior portion of the firearm stock through a first sideof the firearm stock and the one or more elongated slots may beaccessible through a second side of the firearm stock. The accessorymounting interface may be made from a stronger material than a materialfrom which the firearm stock is made.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a top perspective view of a system for a firearm barrel trayand stock;

FIG. 2 is a bottom perspective view of the system in FIG. 1 illustratingaccessory mounting points;

FIG. 3 is a perspective exploded view of the firearm barrel tray, stock,and attachment mechanism components of the system in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a bottom perspective view of the firearm barrel trayillustrated in FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is an exploded side section view of the firearm barrel tray and aforend portion of the stock in FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a first side view of the tray in FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 is a second side view of the tray in FIG. 1;

FIG. 8 is a front or distal end view of the tray in FIG. 1;

FIG. 9 is a back or proximal end view of the tray in FIG. 1;

FIG. 10 is a top view of the tray in FIG. 1;

FIG. 11 is a bottom view of the tray in FIG. 1;

FIG. 12 is a top view of the stock in FIG. 1 alone;

FIG. 13 is a bottom view of the stock in FIG. 1 alone;

FIG. 14 is a top view of the stock and tray in FIG. 1;

FIG. 15 is a bottom view of the stock and tray in FIG. 1;

FIG. 16 is an exploded, perspective view of a different embodiment of astock and attachment mechanism component of the present disclosure;

FIG. 17 is a top view of the stock in FIG. 14;

FIG. 18 is a bottom view of the stock in FIG. 14;

FIG. 19 is a flowchart of a method of making a firearm stock system.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

With reference to the figures an exemplary firearm barrel tray and stockas described herein are provided to give a user the option of mountingan accessory proximal to the forend of a stock or firearm, while at thesame time minimizing the weight and/or costs of providing the system.For example, a firearm stock system 100 as illustrated in FIG. 1 mayinclude a firearm barrel tray 102 (which may be referred to herein assimply “tray” 102) and a stock 104. The stock 104 may be a stock for ahunting rifle, and may itself be an original equipment manufacturer(OEM)-supplied stock, or may be used to replace an OEM hunting riflestock. The tray 102 may be removably coupled to or adjacent a first sideof the stock 104. The tray 102 may be attached such that a barrelchannel 106 (see e.g. FIG. 3) is positioned adjacent the first side 112of the stock 104 or system 100 and an accessory interface 108 protrudesat least partially through a recess 110 or passage in the stock 104 (asshown in FIG. 2) such that a user may mount an accessory (notillustrated) directly to the tray 102 from a second side 114 of thestock.

The tray 102 may be made primarily of a high-strength engineering gradepolymer and/or reinforced composite materials in embodiments. It mayalso be made of other high-strength, durable, rigid, wear-resistantmaterials, such as metal or metal alloys. The rigidity and strengthdesired for mounting firearm accessories leads many manufacturers in theindustry to use comparatively heavier and more expensive materials suchas steel, aluminum or reinforced engineering polymers in someapplications. This rigidity is most critical for accessories such asvarious sights (optical, lasers, iron, etc.) where any shift in themounting would directly cause the point of aim to shift. Rigidity isalso important for items such as bipods, grips or other items whichideally have no flex or movement where such shifts can indirectly affectpoint of aim.

Certain modular locking accessory mounting systems in the industry, suchas the M-LOK® designed by Magpul® Inc., specifically benefit from astrong material durable enough to prevent damage to the mounting slotwhen engaging (i.e., turning and seating) the nut. Co-owned U.S. Pat.Nos. 8,925,236, 9,239,209, 9,239,210, 9,523,554, and 9,429,388 and U.S.patent application Ser. No. 15/357,216 for such a modular lockingaccessory mounting interface system are incorporated herein byreference. Strength is also needed to withstand the force often appliedto the various accessories either intentionally (such as loading a bipodor sling to stabilize the gun) or inadvertently (such as accidentaldrops or impacts).

The stock 104 may be made of a lower-cost engineering polymer or acommodity plastic. The tray 102 may be made of a material that has astrength, rigidity, and/or weight that is greater than a strength,rigidity, and/or weight of the stock 104. The tray 102 may be shaped soas to resist deformation to a greater degree than does the stock 104. Insome embodiments, the tray 102 may be made from a material that is40-50% more dense than the material used to form the stock 104. In someembodiments, the tray 102 or any portion thereof used to form anaccessory mounting interface 108 may be made from a material that isanywhere from 2-8 times heavier, 2-25 times stronger, and 10-30 times asstiff as a material used to form another part of the tray 102 or thestock 104. The ranges described herein are exemplary only, and othersuitable ranges may be used.

FIG. 3 shows that the tray 102 may have a barrel channel 106 unitarywith or directly coupled to an accessory interface 108. As shown, thebarrel channel 106 may be configured to receive and interface with abarrel. The barrel channel 106 may include one or more cutouts 134 whichcreate a space that allows air to flow out through elongated slots 116of the accessory mounting interface. The cutout design 132 may alsoreduce an overall weight of the tray 102.

FIG. 4 shows a bottom perspective of the tray 102. The accessoryinterface 108, which may be located on a second side (e.g., anunderside) of the stock 104 may include one or more elongated slots 116.The accessory interface 108 may include a modular locking accessorymounting system for hard mounting one or more accessories to a negativespace mounting point. The accessory interface 108 may include one ormore slots compatible with the Magpul M-LOK® system, for example. Thematerial surrounding the elongated slots 116, being of high-strength,rigid, durable material, provides the advantage of being resistant todeformation or damage when engaged with a modular locking accessorymounting system. Though not shown, in some embodiments, the elongatedslots may be located on a different portion of the tray 102, such as onthe side, and may exist in place of or in addition to the slots on thebottom of the stock. In such embodiments, the stock 104 may havecorresponding recesses that allow the elongated slots to be accessiblefrom the sides.

The tray 102 may include one or more reinforcing ribs 118 on asupporting wall 132 as illustrated in FIG. 4. The supporting wall 132,as shown, connects the barrel channel 106 to the accessory mountinginterface 108. Similarly, the stock 104 may include one or morereinforcing ribs 130, as illustrated in FIG. 12. The reinforcing ribs118, 120 may be positioned so as to minimize a tendency of the tray 102and/or stock 104 to rotate or bend relative to a longitudinal axis, suchas a longitudinal axis defined by a firing direction.

As illustrated most clearly in FIG. 5, the system 100 may include one ormore fasteners 122 for removably attaching the tray 102 to the stock104. The fasteners 122 may be inserted on a first side 112 of the stock104. The fasteners 122 may be threaded, and may pass through the tray102 for engagement with one or more threaded recesses 124 in the stock104. A threaded screw fastener may provide the advantage of creating anextremely secure connection between the tray 102 and stock 104, whichmay be manufactured as separate pieces because they are differentmaterials. However, in some embodiments, other fasteners or attachmentmechanisms may be implemented. For example, the stock 104 may beconfigured to receive the tray 104 such that it snaps into place throughpressure.

The tray 102 may be attached to the stock 104 in a position wherein amajority of the tray 102 is positioned on a first side 112 of the stock102 and an accessory interface 108 extends at least partially through arecess 110 in the stock 104 such that the accessory interface 108 isaccessible from a second side 114 of the stock 104. By the phrase“positioned on,” it is to be understood that the terms “nested” or“seated into” would also be appropriate synonyms for the purpose of thisdisclosure.

In some embodiments, the barrel channel 106 is adapted to support atapered barrel, meaning that a front portion of the barrel channel 106would be narrower than a back portion of the barrel channel 106. In someembodiments, the barrel channel 106 is adapted to support a straight orbull barrel, meaning that the length of the barrel channel 106 thatinterfaces with the barrel has a uniform width. The tray 102 and stock104 may be configured for particular popular models of firearms havingreceivers and barrels of a particular size. Such firearms may come withstandard stocks which may be easily replaced with the tray 102 and stock104 system of the present disclosure.

FIGS. 6 and 7 show left and right side views, respectively, of the tray102. As shown, the reinforcing ribs 118, 120 may be visible and stickout from an outer portion of the tray 102, and may interface withcorresponding grooves in the stock 104. The tolerance of the interfacebetween the ribs 118, 120 and the grooves may be configured to limit anymovement between the tray 102 and the stock 104.

FIG. 8 shows a front or distal view of the tray 102. As shown, thebarrel channel 106 forms a half-circle shape to cradle the barrel. Thebarrel channel 106 may be configured in this fashion in part to limitthe movement of the barrel and keep it supported while leaving the topexposed for heat dissipation. The accessory interface portion 108 of thetray is narrower than the width of the barrel channel 106 and theportion with the reinforcing ribs 118, 120. Such a configuration allowsthe accessory interface portion 108 to nest within an opening within thestock 102. FIG. 9 shows a back view of the tray 102. As previouslydescribed, the tray 102 may be configured to receive a tapered orstraight barrel. The embodiment shown depicts a barrel channel 106 inFIGS. 8 and 9 having a shape wherein the front of the barrel channel isnarrower than the back, which indicates this embodiment is configuredfor a tapered barrel.

FIG. 10 shows a top view of the barrel tray 102 alone. As shown, theslots of the attachment mechanism 108 are visible from the top of thestock. FIG. 11 shows a bottom view of the tray 102. Though not shown,the attachment mechanism 108 may be substantially flush with a bottomsurface profile of the stock 104.

FIG. 12 shows the entirety of the stock 104 alone (i.e., without thetray). In embodiments, the entirety of the stock 104 as shown may bemade from a lower weight, lower cost, and/or lower durability materialthan the tray. This stock material may also have higher flexibility andlower rigidity than the tray material. The stock may include stockreinforcing ribs 130 that provide strength while minimizing weight incomparison to either a solid or hollow construction. The recess 110through which the attachment mechanism 108 may be inserted is shown inFIG. 12 and also in FIG. 13, which shows a view from a bottom side ofthe stock. Turning back to FIG. 12, the attachment points for the tray102 via the fasteners are shown located on distal 128 and proximal 132ends of the recess 110 respectively, which allows the attachmentmechanism to fill the recess 110, which comprises a majority of thewidth of the stock.

FIG. 14 shows a top view of the stock 104 and tray 102 fully assembled,and FIG. 15 shows a bottom view of the same.

FIG. 16 shows another embodiment of a stock and attachment mechanismassembly of the present disclosure. In this embodiment, the stock 204may be configured to interface solely with an attachment bracket 160rather than a barrel tray with an attachment mechanism. In this example,the stock 204 may not be configured to interface with a separate barreltray, but may itself support a barrel (e.g., tapered or straight) by itsshape. The attachment bracket 160 may be made from any high-strengthpolymer, composite, or metal, and may have accessory slots that arecompatible with modular locking accessory attachment systems. Theseaccessory slots may be identical to the accessory slots of theattachment mechanism 108 of the tray 102 in the embodiment shown inFIGS. 1-13. The design of the stock 204 may further minimize weight andmanufacturing costs.

FIG. 17 shows a top view of the stock 204 with the attachment bracket160 fastened in place. The attachment bracket 160 may be fastened viathreaded fasteners directly to an inside portion of the stock 204. Theembodiment of the stock 204 shown accommodates a tapered barrel, with adistal end 210 of the barrel channel 206 being slightly narrower than aproximal end 220. FIG. 18 shows the stock 204 and attachment bracket 160from a bottom side, which illustrated that the bracket 160 issubstantially flush with a bottom profile of the stock 204.

Turning now to FIG. 19, a method 1900 of making a firearm support systemis now described. The method 1900 may include forming 1902 a firearmbarrel channel and a firearm accessory interface from a firsthigh-strength material. Forming 1902 may be achieved by forming an aspreviously described and illustrated herein. Forming 1902 may includeforming of a high-strength engineering grade polymer and/or reinforcedcomposite materials.

The method 1900 may include forming 1904 a firearm stock from a secondlower-strength material. Forming 1904 may be achieved by forming a stockas previously described and illustrated herein. Forming 1904 may includeforming of a lower cost engineering polymer or a commodity plastic.Forming 1904 may include forming of a material that is not as strong asa material used to form the firearm barrel channel and firearm accessorymounting interface. The method 1900 may further include coupling 1906the firearm barrel channel and firearm accessory interface to aninterior portion of the firearm stock such that the firearm barrelchannel sits on a top side of the stock and the firearm accessoryinterface is accessible from a bottom side of the stock.

The terms and expressions employed herein are used as terms andexpressions of description and not of limitation, and there is nointention, in the use of such terms and expressions, of excluding anyequivalents of the features shown and described or portions thereof. Inaddition, having described certain embodiments, it will be apparent tothose of ordinary skill in the art that other embodiments incorporatingthe concepts disclosed herein may be used without departing from thespirit and scope of the disclosure. Accordingly, the describedembodiments are to be considered in all respects as only illustrativeand not restrictive.

Each of the various elements disclosed herein may be achieved in avariety of manners. This disclosure should be understood to encompasseach such variation, be it a variation of an embodiment of any apparatusembodiment, a method or process embodiment, or even merely a variationof any element of these. Particularly, it should be understood that thewords for each element may be expressed by equivalent apparatus terms ormethod terms—even if only the function or result is the same. Suchequivalent, broader, or even more generic terms should be considered tobe encompassed in the description of each element or action. Such termscan be substituted where desired to make explicit the implicitly broadcoverage to which this disclosure is entitled.

As but one example, it should be understood that all action may beexpressed as a means for taking that action or as an element whichcauses that action. Similarly, each physical element disclosed should beunderstood to encompass a disclosure of the action which that physicalelement facilitates. Regarding this last aspect, by way of example only,the disclosure of a fastener should be understood to encompassdisclosure of the act of fastening—whether explicitly discussed ornot—and, conversely, were there only disclosure of the act of fastening,such a disclosure should be understood to encompass disclosure of afastening mechanism. Such changes and alternative terms are to beunderstood to be explicitly included in the description.

The previous description of the disclosed embodiments and examples isprovided to enable any person skilled in the art to make or use thepresent disclosure as defined by the claims. Thus, the presentdisclosure is not intended to be limited to the examples disclosedherein. Various modifications to these embodiments will be readilyapparent to those skilled in the art, and the generic principles definedherein may be applied to other embodiments without departing from thespirit or scope of the invention as claimed.

1-14. (canceled)
 15. A system comprising: a firearm stock having a firstside and a second side; a barrel tray shaped and sized to support abarrel on the first side of the firearm stock, wherein the barrel trayfurther comprises an attachment mechanism, the attachment mechanismcomprising one or more elongated slots, and wherein one or more of theattachment mechanism and the barrel tray is configured to be fastened toan interior portion of the firearm stock such that the one or moreelongated slots are accessible through the second side of the firearmstock.
 16. The system of claim 15, wherein the first side comprises atop portion of the firearm stock and wherein the second side comprises abottom portion of the firearm stock.
 17. The system of claim 15, whereinone or more of the barrel tray and the attachment mechanism is made froma stronger material than a material from which the firearm stock ismade.
 18. The system of claim 15, wherein the firearm stock comprises arecess on the second side, and wherein at least a portion of theattachment mechanism is configured to nest within the recess.
 19. Thesystem of claim 15, wherein the one or more elongated slots arecompatible with a modular locking accessory mounting system for handmounting one or more accessories to a negative space mounting point. 20.The system of claim 15, wherein the barrel tray is configured to beremovably coupled to the firearm stock, the barrel tray furthercomprising: a barrel channel positioned on the first side of the firearmstock, the barrel channel shaped and sized to receive and interface withthe barrel, and wherein the attachment mechanism is unitary with ordirectly coupled to the barrel channel.
 21. The system of claim 20,wherein the barrel tray further comprises one or more reinforcing ribson a supporting wall of the barrel tray between the barrel channel andthe attachment mechanism, and wherein the firearm stock comprises one ormore corresponding grooves configured to interface with the one or morereinforcing ribs.
 22. The system of claim 20, wherein the barrel channelforms a half-circle shape, and wherein the barrel is one of a taperedbarrel or a straight barrel.
 23. The system of claim 20, wherein thebarrel tray is configured to be fastened to the firearm stock via one ormore fasteners that threadingly engage the firearm stock.
 24. The systemof claim 20, wherein the barrel channel comprises one or more cutouts toallow air to flow out through the one or more elongated slots.
 25. Afirearm stock assembly, comprising: a firearm stock having a first sideand a second side; a barrel tray shaped and sized to support a barrel onthe first side of the firearm stock, wherein the barrel tray comprisesan attachment mechanism, the attachment mechanism comprising one or moreelongated slots, and wherein one or more of the attachment mechanism andthe barrel tray is configured to be fastened to an interior portion ofthe firearm stock such that the one or more elongated slots areaccessible through the second side of the firearm stock.
 26. The firearmstock assembly of claim 25, wherein the one or more elongated slots areeach configured to receive a locking component of an accessory in anegative space mounting point.
 27. The firearm stock assembly of claim25, wherein one or more of the barrel tray and the attachment mechanismis made from a stronger material than a material from which the firearmstock is made.
 28. The firearm stock assembly of claim 25, wherein thebarrel tray is configured to be removably coupled to the firearm stock,the barrel tray further comprising: a barrel channel positioned on thefirst side of the firearm stock, the barrel channel shaped and sized toreceive and interface with the barrel, and wherein the attachmentmechanism is unitary with or directly coupled to the barrel channel. 29.The firearm stock assembly of claim 28, wherein the barrel tray furthercomprises one or more reinforcing ribs on a supporting wall of thebarrel tray between the barrel channel and the attachment mechanism, andwherein the firearm stock comprises one or more corresponding groovesconfigured to interface with the one or more reinforcing ribs.
 30. Thefirearm stock assembly of claim 28, wherein the barrel channel forms ahalf-circle shape, and wherein the barrel is one of a tapered barrel ora straight barrel.
 31. The firearm stock assembly of claim 28, whereinthe barrel channel comprises one or more cutouts to allow air to flowout through the one or more elongated slots.
 32. The firearm stockassembly of claim 25, wherein the firearm stock comprises a recess onthe second side, and wherein at least a portion of the attachmentmechanism is configured to nest within the recess.
 33. A method ofmaking a firearm support system, the method comprising: forming afirearm stock, the firearm stock having a first side and a second side;forming a recess on the second side of the firearm stock; forming abarrel tray, the barrel tray shaped and sized to support a barrel on thefirst side of the firearm stock; forming an attachment mechanism and oneor more elongated slots within the attachment mechanism, wherein theattachment mechanism is coupled to at least a portion of the barreltray; and coupling one or more of the attachment mechanism and thebarrel tray to an interior portion of the firearm stock such that theattachment mechanism is aligned with the recess and the one or moreelongated slots are accessible from the second side of the firearmstock.
 34. The method of claim 33, further comprising: hard mounting oneor more accessories to a negative space mounting point of the one ormore elongated slots.